Global health R&D at work in Kentucky
The University of Kentucky leads an international team of researchers that has discovered a promising, fast-acting antimalarial compound. It is one of the first in a new class of antimalarial compounds to reach clinical trials. Decades of hard-fought progress against malaria is now threatened by rising drug resistance. For example, up to 60 percent of malaria patients in central Asia have a drug-resistant form of the disease—underscoring the urgent need to develop new treatments before existing drugs become ineffective. In partnership with the nonprofit Medicines for Malaria Venture, the Kentucky team is continuing research to advance this discovery to market.